Skip to content

Letter: 'Wellness' is just an empty buzzword for people with a mental illness

Editor: An open letter to the mayoral candidates in Burnaby on the subject of mental health: Thanks for your emails. I’m so sorry I can’t contribute to your campaign. I am on PWD and need all my money for rent and food.
mental health

Editor:

An open letter to the mayoral candidates in Burnaby on the subject of mental health:
Thanks for your emails. I’m so sorry I can’t contribute to your campaign. I am on PWD and need all my money for rent and food. I am very lucky to have a roof over my head. My time is also pretty tied up volunteering for non-profit organizations in Burnaby when I am well enough to do so. I help out when I can.
But what I’d like to know is do you have any plans to improve mental health services in Burnaby, the province’s third largest city? As a person with multiple diagnoses of mental illness I realize that many of our citizens are in the same boat and I know a lot of them are way worse off than I am, particularly if they are battling substance addiction with potentially fatal consequences. The opioid/fentanyl crisis is horrifying and I’m glad my city has facilities to assist those dealing with it and is the process of expanding that service.
However, Burnaby Hospital has no psychiatric outpatient facilities for the rest of us. There are absolutely no public services there for people needing crucial help with mental health issues unless they have schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorder, have a concurring substance abuse or are literally trying to kill themselves. I was actually told this by a psychiatric assessment nurse at Burnaby Hospital.
OK, I get it, Burnaby Hospital is old and frankly doesn’t have the space or resources to help everyone. But our city has a gaping abyss in that there is absolutely no public health services at all to help those with lesser diagnosis which, I might add, can be fatal as well if not properly treated. It’s like telling someone that their pancreatic cancer isn’t that bad so we won’t treat you but come back when you are in stage 4 and nearly dead and we may be able to fit you in and prescribe some aspirin.
Most of the time, like a lot of people in my situation with proper medication and psychiatric care, I function well in society. Sometimes my meds stop working or a crisis occurs in my life. I try eat right on my limited means and get exercise. I’ve taken Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Crisis Management training and learned a whole lot of other skills to regulate my emotions, I do my best to take an active role in my ‘recovery’ but all the therapy and skills in the world won’t save me when I’m really sick because my meds stopped working and can’t take care of myself because I’m in the midst of a serious manic episode and want to take my own life. I know there are provincial crisis lines staffed by volunteers who are able to listen, but they can’t counsel, or offer services. If things are really bad they might dial 911 and have a person taken to the hospital. But triage will decide since there is nothing physically wrong with them they are low priority and will leave them sitting in the waiting room for 18 hours or more. And yes, this has happened to me. With no sleep, no food, and no help and feeling even worse than when they arrived a lot of people give up and either go home to suffer and grapple with the urge to end it all or jump off a bridge. And yes, this happened to a friend of mine.
But the thing is, things don’t have to be that way. For example, what about a rapid access clinic that could provide an initial 30-minute consultation with a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse to determine diagnosis and medications needed and 15 minutes every six months thereafter to follow up and monitor patients progress? Of course interventions in between in case of crisis or meds adjustment are occasionally needed, but isn’t that way better than neglecting mental health sufferers while they go through hell untreated and possibly require months of expensive hospitalization when they reach a crisis point?
I feel bad for those who have mild or situational depression or anxiety, it sucks. But their GP or a walk-in clinic will help them and will gladly do so. If they have money or extended medical benefits, Burnaby is crawling with “wellness centres.” Most of the time, with therapy and perhaps meds, these people will be fine. But for others, more help is needed and “wellness” is an empty buzzword.
We have a great city here in Burnaby, and doesn’t everyone deserve a good quality of life? I know I have raised a lot of points and I don’t expect this mental health crisis to be solved soon, but please tell me, won’t you do something to help?

The name of the writer has been withheld by the NOW because the writer feared being stigmatized by future employers.